Fostering

It's important that you feel supported and confident in your role as a foster carer. We want to make sure that foster placements work, for you and the child, so we'll offer you as much help and advice as you need. You'll have regular opportunities to attend training to make sure you have the skills and knowledge required to meet a child's needs.

Training

Before you can be approved as a foster carer you'll need to attend a preparation for fostering course. If you're a couple you'll both need to attend.

All new foster carers also have to complete a national standard level of training within 18 months of taking on the role. It's important to make sure that you're competent and safe in your new role and our training helps to you develop the skills and knowledge that you'll need to support the child you'll be caring for. If you've got some prior experience of working with children and young people we'll take this into account as evidence towards meeting the standard. You can read more about the training, support and development standards for foster care on the GOV.UK website.

When you're fostering we'll continue to offer you training, including the opportunity to take NVQ qualifications as part of our Payment for Skills scheme. For each level you achieve you'll receive an increased allowance. Please refer to our information about how much you'll get paid for fostering for details.

Your fostering social worker will help you to identify the courses that you need to attend. We'll also work with you on a personal development plan and a training profile.

Foster carer training program

Find out more about some of the courses and resources offered to you as a foster carer:

a list of courses available on POD
a list of courses from Kate Cairns e-learning
POD e-learning
access to e-learning from the Rees Centre
access to Research in Practice

If you are a newly approved foster carer, then you will need to complete the TSDS (Training Standards and Development Workbook) in your first year of approval.

Courses

There are some specific courses which run only for foster carers.

Paediatric First Aid – this is a 3-day course that is taught and certificated and lasts for 3 years. There is a course set up specifically for foster carers.
Solihull Training Course. This course is a 10-week programme, with two cohorts running twice a year, starting in January and in September. The course is delivered by the Andrew French and Zoe Smith from the fostering team, in conjunction with Ian England and Sarah Hudson from the training and development section.
FLAG (Fostering Lasting Attachments Group) lead by Ellis Mosely, a clinical psychologist based at CAMHS with Louise Fisher with the fostering team.
Level 3 Diploma for the Children’s and Young People’s Workforce: Social Care Pathway (England). This course is available for foster carers two years after approval. It will start in April, with the intention of completing the Diploma in the following year. Completion of the Diploma should see progression to Skills Based Level 3 at the start of the following financial year.

Raising Awareness of the Safeguarding Adult Process	Wednesday 1 April	10am to 12pm	Room 1, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Neglect	Thursday 2 April	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Introduction to Safeguarding Children	Friday 3 April	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Children from Sex Offenders who use the Internet	Friday 3 April	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Pregnancy and Mental Health Before and After the Baby	Wednesday 8 April	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Attachment Theory	Friday 17 April	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Drugs Awareness	Monday 20 April	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Understanding Bullying and Contextual Safeguarding	Monday 20 April	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People	Tuesday 21 April	09:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Contextual Safeguarding	Wednesday 22 April	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Criminal Exploitation of Children – County Lines	Friday 24 April	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
More Than Just Attention Seeking: Responding to Self-Harm in Young People – A Brief Insight for Front-Line Practitioners	Monday 27 April	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Working with Resistant Adults and Families	Wednesday 29 April	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Relationships and Sex Education	Thursday 30 April	09:30 – 12:30	Westgate Plaza Boardroom
Safeguarding in the Digital World	Monday 4 May	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Look, Say, Sing, Play. Helping Parents Understand Their Role in Developing Their Baby’s Brain	Tuesday 5 May	12:30 – 14:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Against Extremism – Prevent Awareness	Thursday 7 May	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Hidden Harm	Tuesday 12 May	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Recognizing and Responding to Sexually Harmful Behaviour	Wednesday 13 May	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Effectively Engaging with Families	Thursday 14 May	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Alcohol Misuse Awareness	Friday 15 May	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Compromised Parenting – The Effects of the Toxic Trio	Tuesday 19 May	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Designated Safeguarding Lead Training	Wednesday 20 May	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups	Thursday 21 May	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Contextual Safeguarding	Friday 22 May	12:30 – 14:00	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People	Wednesday 3 June	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Dealing with Disclosures	Thursday 4 June	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery	Friday 5 June	9:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Relationships and Sex Education	Tuesday 9 June	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Hidden Men	Wednesday 10 June	Wed 10 June 09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Introduction to Safeguarding Children	Thursday 11 June	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Fabricated and Induced Illness	Friday 12 June	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Teenage Sexual Identity	Monday 15 June	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Neglect	Tuesday 16 June	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Pregnancy and Mental Health Before and After the Baby	Wednesday 17 Jube	13:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Criminal Exploitation of Children	Thursday 18 June	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Strength Based Approach in Children’s Services	Tuesday 23 June	09:30 – 12:30	Room 1, Barnsley Town Hall
Working with Parents with Mental Health Issues and Safeguarding.	Wednesday 24 June	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Awareness Raising of Female Genital Mutilation	Thursday 25 June	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Contextual Safeguarding	Friday 26 June	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Criminal Exploitation of Children – County Lines	Thursday 2 July	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Contextual Safeguarding	Friday 3 July	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Spice Awareness	Monday 6 July	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Understanding and Dealing with Abusers who are in Positions of Trust: Learning the Lessons from the Jimmy Savile Investigations	Tuesday 7 July	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Hidden Harm	Wednesday 8 July	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Understanding Bullying and Contextual Safeguarding	Thursday 9 July	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding in the Digital World	Tuesday 14 July	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People	Thursday 16 July	09:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Raising Awareness of the Safeguarding Adult Process	Thursday 3 September	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Look, Say, Sing, Play. Helping Parents Understand Their Role in Developing Their Baby’s Brain	Friday 4 September	12:30 – 14:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Awareness Raising of Female Genital Mutilation	Wednesday 9 September	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery	Thursday 10 September	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Pregnancy and Mental Health Before and After the Baby	Monday 14 September	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
More Than Just Attention Seeking: Responding to Self-Harm in Young People – A Brief Insight for Front-Line Practitioners	Tuesday 15 September	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups	Wednesday 16 September	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Alcohol Misuse Awareness	Thursday 17 September	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Introduction to Safeguarding Children	Friday 18 September	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Relationships and Sex Education	Monday 21 September	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People	Tuesday 22 September	9:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Criminal Exploitation of Children	Thursday 24 September	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Contextual Safeguarding	Friday 25 September	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Sexual Exploitation	Tuesday 29 September	09:30 – 16:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Neglect	Wednesday 30 September	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Effectively Engaging with Families	Friday 2 October	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Hidden Harm	Tuesday 6 October	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Against Extremism – Prevent Awareness	Wednesday 7 October	10:00 – 12:00	Room 1, Barnsley Town Hall
Fabricated and Induced Illness	Friday 9 October	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Criminal Exploitation of Children – County Lines	Tuesday 13 October	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Children Through Safer Recruitment	Wednesday 14 October	9:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Children from Sex Offenders who use the Internet	Thursday 15 October	09:30 – 12:30	Room 12, Barnsley Town Hall
Spice Awareness	Friday 16 October	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Dealing with Disclosures	Tuesday 20 October	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Sexual Identity and Working with Transgender Issues	Wednesday 21 October	9:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Working with Resistant Adults and Families	Thursday 22 October	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Contextual Safeguarding	Friday 23 October	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding in the Digital World	Wednesday 4 November	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Recognizing and Responding to Signs of Abuse and The Role of the Paediatrician Explained	Friday 6 November	12:30 – 14:00	The Boardroom, Gateway Plaza
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People	Wednesday 11 November	09:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Hidden Men	Thursday 12 November	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Introduction to Safeguarding Children	Tuesday 17 November	9.30am to 12.30pm	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Recognizing and Responding to Sexually Harmful Behaviour	Wednesday 18 November	09:30 – 16:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Compromised Parenting – The Effects of the Toxic Trio	Thursday 19 November	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Understanding Bullying and Contextual Safeguarding	Monday 23 November	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Working with Parents with Mental Health Issues and Safeguarding	Tuesday 24 November	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Pregnancy and Mental Health Before and After the Baby	Thursday 26 November	13:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Look, Say, Sing, Play. Helping Parents Understand Their Role in Developing Their Baby’s Brain	Tuesday 1 December	12:30 – 14:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery	Wednesday 2 December	09:30 – 12:30	Room 1, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Neglect	Thursday 3 December	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Drugs Awareness	Friday 4 December	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Teenage Sexual Identity	Monday 7 December	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups	Tuesday 8 December	09:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Hidden Harm	Thursday 10 December	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Attachment Theory	Friday 11 December	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Criminal Exploitation of Children	Tuesday 15 December	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Child Sexual Exploitation	Thursday 7 January	09:30 – 16:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People	Tuesday 12 January	09:30 – 16:30	Reception Room Barnsley Town Hall
Pregnancy and Mental Health Before and After the Baby	Wednesday 13 January	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
More Than Just Attention Seeking: Responding to Self-Harm in Young People – A Brief Insight for Front-Line Practitioners	Thursday 14 January	09:30 – 12:30	Reception Room, Barnsley Town Hall
Raising Awareness of the Safeguarding Adult Process	Tuesday 19 January	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Relationships and Sex Education	Wednesday 20 January	09:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Awareness Raising of Female Genital Mutilation	Thursday 21 January	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Sexual Identity and Working with Transgender Issues	Monday 1 February	09:30 – 12:30	Room 11, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Against Extremism – Prevent Awareness	Tuesday 2 February	10:00 – 12:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Safeguarding Children Through Safer Recruitment	Friday 11 February	9:30 – 12:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Dealing with Disclosures	Wednesday 10 February	12:30 – 14:00	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Pregnancy and Mental Health Before and After the Baby	Thursday 11 March	13:30 – 16:30	Room 2, Barnsley Town Hall
Course	Date	Time	Location

Kate Cairns eLearning

Adolescence
Assessing and managing risk
Attachment and brain development
Behaviour and the physical environment
Behaviour and the physical environment: Adapting the physical environment to promote recovery from trauma
Brain development and positive parenting
Building individual and community resilience
Building resilience
Child-centred assessment
Child development
Child protection
Child sexual exploitation: Protecting children and young people from harm
Children and young people who misuse substances
Children’s rights
Communicating with children and young people
Confidentiality and record keeping
Contact in foster care
Domestic violence
Eating disorders: A relationship-based approach to prevention and recovery
Emotion coaching
Emotion coaching: A systemic, relational approach to behaviour
Equality and diversity
Equality and diversity in professional practice
Five to thrive for life: Adolescence
Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Systemic approaches to improving life chances for children and young people
Foetal exposure to alcohol
Impulsive behaviour
Introduction to attachment and brain development
Introduction to child development
Introduction to child protection
Introduction to communicating with children and young people
Introduction to promoting secure attachment: Brain development and positive parenting
Introduction to understanding trauma
Making safe connections – the digital revolution, neuroscience and human attachment needs
Maladaptive behaviours: Promoting recovery for children who harm themselves
Men in children’s services
Multi-disciplinary working
Narrative work
Narrative work: The development of a positive sense of self
Parental mental health issues
Professional development
Safer caring
Secondary trauma
Secondary trauma and community resilience
Self-harming behaviours
Self-injuring and self-sabotaging behaviours: A relationship-based approach to prevention and recovery
Sexualised behaviour: Issues in foster care
Sexualised behaviour: Managing risk, promoting recovery
Supervising foster care
Teamwork
The role of the foster carer
Transitions and vulnerability
Understanding trauma
Vulnerability, trauma and recovery

KCA training - eLearning

Courses can be viewed without an account

Find out more about KTA training courses, on their website and select the e-learning tab.

Foster carers-application process

Inform your supervising social worker of the course you wish to undertake.
Applications must be requested via the supervising social worker to ensure that only the agreed/appropriate training is being allocated or undertaken.
Only one eLearning module per household can be allocated currently.
When the application is processed a system-generated email will be sent from KCA Training with details of the course.
There is a log in option at the top right side of the KCA Training webpages. Forgotten passwords can be reset by the foster carer themselves.
Username is the foster carer’s email address.

POD learning

Assertive communication
Basic autism awareness
Child sexual exploitation
Down’s syndrome awareness
Drug and alcohol awareness
Emotional intelligence
Epilepsy awareness
Female genital mutilation
Fire Safety
Food safety awareness
Hate and mate crime
Modern slavery and human trafficking
Nutritional awareness
Prevent
Self-harm
Smoking awareness
Spelling, grammar and punctuation
Stress management
Toothbrushing club
Trans Awareness

RiP (Research in Practice) learning

We take learning and development very seriously, for our staff and our foster carers, and to sure that our offer to you includes access to a wide variety of flexible learning opportunities. The support you give children and young people is vital in their lives and we want you to feel you are supported too and have access to high-quality information.

To help us do this we continue to be partners of Research in Practice (RiP) who have over 20-years of experience in developing evidence-informed resources and learning opportunities to support people working with children and young people. Topics cover subjects like attachment, child development, online abuse, mental health, sexual abuse and exploitation. Information is provided as briefings, practical tools, webinars and e-learning modules.

Find out more about Rip resources and learning.

Courses include

Children experiencing domestic abuse
Conduct disorder
Neglect
Play in outdoor spaces
Safeguarding in the 21st century
Under the influence

RiP accounts for Foster Carers

RiP have created accounts for our foster carers and you should have received an email notifying you of your login and password. If you have lost, or forgotten, your details you can get a reminder or reset your Rip password.

The resources are accessible 24/7 so are ideal to fit around a busy life. They are suitable for group work or for individual self-directed learning. Do include learning activities which involve the RiP resources in your record of development it is as important as any face-to-face classroom-based training you do.

If you aren’t sure if you are registered for an account you can email suzannahrockett@barnsley.gov.uk or call (01226) 775639.

What our foster carers say

"The training I received was excellent and a very enjoyable experience. I've got excellent support too and never feel on my own if I have difficulties. I've never regretted my decision to become a foster carer."

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Fostering

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Training

Foster carer training program

Courses

Kate Cairns eLearning

KCA training - eLearning

Foster carers-application process

POD learning

RiP (Research in Practice) learning

Courses include

RiP accounts for Foster Carers

What our foster carers say

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Training for foster carers

Training

Foster carer training program

Courses

Kate Cairns eLearning

KCA training - eLearning

Foster carers-application process

POD learning

RiP (Research in Practice) learning

Courses include

RiP accounts for Foster Carers

What our foster carers say